Sightseeing & detours on the path of enlightenment

Daily Prompt: I Got Skills

If you could choose to be a master (or mistress) of any skill in the world, which skill would you pick?

To borrow a line from Donald Trump‘s Book “The Art of the Deal” I wish I had become a better negotiator. I think my parents had something to do with this lack of skill, but then again it probably was my fault.

My mother used to tell me how I would bargain with her when I was younger, giving up one of my nightly cookies to stay up an extra 15 minutes, then giving up the other one for an additional 15 minutes of staying up late. She said this worked, untill she noticed I was saving my dessert from supper as my late night snack. So she said after that, the standard answer was no, regardless what I proposed, the only way I got what I wanted, was when the offer I made was one so weighted against myself that they let me have it, so to speak. Donald Trump talks about honesty, respect and determination, as the basis for winning deals, which I agree with. Also they say the best deals are ones where both sides can claim victory, or at least suffer the same defeat. So that is the one skill I wish I was a master of.

What would I do with this skill? Convince companies to put the consumer of their products, and the environment ahead of profits. What a healthy world we would live in, if companies voluntarily minimized the disruption of the earth, used the least amount of resources, and cleaned up after themselves. Yes there are companies that do follow ethical polices, but they stand out like green thumbs, among a hand of hammer bashed fingers. Of course this would need making a deal with the shareholders of these companies to accept a lower return for their investment.

Get governments to tax us fairly, while using those revenues to provide services, and enforce regulations, instead of looking after their re-election chances. Have you ever noticed that democratic Governments make over half their offers to do things during the last quarter of their term, because they want to be re-elected. Think I’m wrong, go through your local newspapers for the last few years, and track announcements month by month.